Wednesday, February 28, 2007

NYCC passes the torch to Wondercon

And like that, the New York Comic Con '07 is done, and it's time to turn to WonderCon in San Francisco this weekend (you know, they're much less tiring when you're sitting at home blogging about it rather than wandering the floor and hitting the after-con parties!). We've got the two DC panels (DC Nation and DC Universe - Great Expectations) plus one on animation (including panelist Stan Berkowitz, who wrote the "Lightning Storm" episode of the LSH series) and one on the direct-to-DVD movies.

Mark Waid is a guest there, hopefully he'll reveal something about his future plans with regards to the Legion in light of last weekend's announcement. And maybe someone can find out if anyone was serious about producing a "Great Darkness Saga" DVD as suggested last year. Don't forget, if anyone sees Mike Marts there, he's the Legion editor and might be persuaded to spill a bean or two.

Here's what's on tap programming-wise:

Friday March 2:
4:00-5:00 DC Nation—Dan DiDio— Dan DiDio, Senior VP—Executive Editor DCU, and Bob Wayne, VP—Sales, are joined by Matt Idelson, Senior Editor—DCU, Jann Jones, Coordinating Editor—DCU, and others to call upon the DC NATION once again! Don’t miss the news on what will sure to be the most talked about events of the coming year! Open to current DC NATION members and new recruits! Room 200

Saturday March 3:
12:30-2:00 DC Universe 2007: Great Expectations— Dan DiDio, Senior VP—Executive Editor DCU, and Bob Wayne, VP—Sales, are joined by Matt Idelson, Senior Editor—DCU, Jann Jones, Coordinating Editor—DCU, Judd Winick (Green Arrow, Outsiders), Mark Waid (52, Supergirl & The Legion of Super-Heroes), Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis) and others for a panel that’s not to be missed. Catch up on the secrets of 52 and what lies ahead for the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes! Room 200

3:00-4:00 The Animation Production Process— What goes into bringing an animated script to screen? Join Adam Beechen (Johnny Test, Teen Titans), Stan Berkowitz (Legion of Super Heroes, The New Frontier), Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited) and WonderCon special guest Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, W.I.T.C.H.) as they take you behind the scenes. Moderated by Shannon Muir (Invader ZIM, Extreme Ghostbusters), author of Gardner's Guide to Animation Writing and Production from GGC, Inc. Room 236

5:30-6:45 DC Universe: Super Heroes Go DVD— DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video have joined forces to create a new series of DVDs based on DC Comics' popular graphic novels. Join animation legend Bruce Timm (Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series) and DC Comics luminaries Dan DiDio (Senior Vice President/Executive Editor) and Gregory Noveck (Senior Vice President/Creative Affairs) as they guide you through the intricacies of translating these iconic characters, revered stories and dazzling artwork from acclaimed graphic novels to animated life. In addition to a captivating Q&A, the panel will include a sneak peek of the animation triumvirate's first DVD release ... featuring a caped wonder and rumors of his early demise. Esplanade Ballroom

New York Comic Con '07: leftover stuff

Couple of items from the NYCC last weekend that I didn't cover yet:

Tim Callahan has a great report of his experiences at the con. In particular, he discusses his brand new Legion sketchbook. You have to read his account of getting Rick Veitch to draw a Legionnaire.

WizardUniverse details the Dave Cockrum panel.

Everyone from the panel echoed similar sentiments of the late artist, remembering him as being very personable, warm, and extremely talented and dedicated to his work.

“He would labor for hours to create a new version of a costume for a character,” explained Levitz. “[He] re-costumed most of the Legionnaires, and was the first person to really do that on a broad scale.”

Before it was initiated that original art be given back to creators, Levitz shared a story of how Cockrum went out of his way and pocket to obtain a larger canvas than needed in which to draw the wedding with more detail - illustrating Cockrum’s dedication to his craft.

“Dave wasn’t a penciller, or a writer, he was a comic book creator,” emphasized Rubinstein of Cockrum, whose pencils he frequently inked.

Obviously, the big news (as we see it here) was Barry Kitson's announcement that he's leaving, which was revealed almost as an afterthought. There's only four more issues of their run to go, starting with this week's new issue. We'll know in about 2 weeks who's doing issue 31.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Kitson: "I can't make any promises beyond #30"

I was going to put this at the end of my last post, but thought it deserved its own.

Barry Kitson posts from time to time over at the LegionWorld message boards. In the last couple of days he's had this to say about his leaving:

The thing was that Mark and I were scheduled to finish on LSH whatever happened so when Marvel offered me such a fun project and the chance to work with Matt I couldn't really say no. Luckily for us, Marvel were happy to let us finish up our run and DC were kind enough to want us to as well. I hope we set a good stage for the creators who will follow us.... I'll certainly still be reading the book to see what happens next.

Thanks, Marvel and DC! Interestingly, he later said this:
Characters I would have liked to have drawn? Well I wish I had gotten to draw Andromeda - and I would have liked to have shown our version of Dawnstar (she was going to be in the Wanderers but we were told we couldn't include her at the last minute because she was turning up elsewhere in the DCU).

"Elsewhere" is apparently the new JSA series sometime this year, which we saw in JSA #1. Otherwise, what a bombshell announcement that would have been!

Finally, an announcement on their last issue:
Well I'm definitely drawing #30, if we can squeeze an extra issue in I will, but with scheduling the way it is I can't make any promises beyond #30.

Waid and Kitson to leave S/LSH: what's next?

Update Sunday night: added further discussion links at bottom.



Obviously, the big news out of NYCC07 (for us, at least) is that Mark Waid and Barry Kitson are wrapping up their 30-issue run on Supergirl and the LSH this summer. No matter how you look at it, that's a long time to be on a book these days. (And it fits nicely into five 6-issue trades). As Graeme McMillan at Newsarama noted,
One of the more surprising pieces of news was kind of buried elsewhere: Barry Kitson’s Marvel exclusivity story contained the following:
Mark and I were already scheduled to be ending our run on Legion of Super-Heroes… [Our final issue] will probably be #30 (depending on scheduling at DC) which will give Mark and I a chance to tie-up all (or nearly all) the threads we started dangling in issue #1.

I’m kind of bummed about this, personally; I really dig Waid and Kitson’s Legion (dodgy mid-run slump excepted), so I’m sorry to see it end.

Suspiciously, issue 30 will come out shortly after 52 comes to an end. Now that series is promising the return of the Multiverse in some fashion. Are these two events connected - will the Multiverse bring some changes in the Legion? The current book was the first of the post-Infinite Crisis universe.

There are those who want to see the return of the Levitz-era Legion, post-Magic Wars, and those who want to see the return of the Glorithverse/TMK-era Legion (although that timeline was wiped out by the Zero Hour wave, I'm sure some handwaving and wall-punching could restore it). Newer fans are unfamiliar with those books and their Legion is that of Stern/ McCraw/ Moy/ Moder/ Abnett/ Lanning/ Coipiel. And there are those who are unfamiliar with even that one, who just started reading with the current series. Who do you include, who do you leave out? I'm talking about not just the Legionnaires but also the fans. You can't reboot the Legion again - once is bad enough, now this would be the third time. (If you go back, what would you call it, a de-boot? Un-boot?)

So in the comments, who would you like to see taking over the writing and art chores after Waid and Kitson depart? How would you like the book to be handled editorially, differently or similar to how it is now (theme, content, storylines, etc.)?

If you're interested, go read the discussion going on at ComicBloc (both the J. Torres area and the general talk area), CBR, LegionWorld, and the DC Comics message boards (here, here, and here).

Saturday, February 24, 2007

New York Comic Con '07: day 2

NYCC Day 2. Today's panels include the DC Nation tour and the Remembering Dave Cockrum panel.

CBR has a recap of the "DCU: A Better Tomorrow -- Today!" panel. Not much from the 31st century standpoint.

Any more animated DC series on the way? According to Dini, the next one coming out is “Death of Superman” later this year. “Legion” and “The Batman” continue, but nothing else is on the horizon. When should readers be expecting the return of the multiverse? Wayne dropped strong hints to look for the 51st and 52nd weeks of “52.”

Should we expect the return of Superboy or any Superboys in a book? “None that I can find,” Idelson said.

Didio polled the panel again on what characters they’d want to work on that they hadn’t yet.
Keith Champagne: “Legion.”

Will there be a “Legion” Showcase collection? Wayne confirmed that one is in the works.

The panel ended with a high note, as an audience member asked Didio if the Flash and Red Robin in the “Countdown” teaser were Barry Allen and Jason Todd, respectively. Didio, uncharacteristically flustered, appeared to confirm the information. Bob Wayne then removed the microphone from Didio’s podium. Didio tried to rebound with a last question for the panel: Who should we kill? Only Rucka answered: “I’m looking at him.”

I added the Flash reference here only because his journey to the 30th century prior to Crisis resulted in the Tornado Twins and their offspring Impulse and XS, none of whom have been addressed in the post-Infinite Crisis continuity yet.

Newsarama has pretty much the same stuff, just written by a different guy.

Over at the Secret MySpace panel, Jim Lee was revealed as one of the guests. He reiterated that he still would like to draw the Legion.

A recap of the Cockrum panel later.

Episode 1.07: Child's Play

Chronologically, this actually takes place prior to "Lightning Storm" (episode 1.08), and was referenced in "Brain Drain" (episode 1.09) when Superman said that he thought only magic could take away his powers.

A visual treat this time: Here are some storyboards for the episode that artist Barry Crain provided on his site.

At the Comics Continuum earlier this week, producer James Tucker is quoted as saying "We're trying to do a lot of episodes that were Superman-esque, without having access to Superman's characters. So this is probably the closest we'll have to a Mxyzptlk-type episode. It's pretty funny. And Phantom Girl is the featured star of it."

Two items - first, it's nice to see that they remember that Drax's pets were still running around loose after the "Phantoms" episode. But it took the Science Police a week to catch them, yet Superman and Saturn Girl took them down in seconds? They didn't have as easy a time with the beasts last time. Second, he was credited as "Evil Wizard" at the end, but there's only one bearded guy with a purple shirt and green winged hat who's also a sorceror... Mordru! Did you catch him sitting at the Council on Zarok?

Torrents: Hi-Def and Regular, get 'em while they're hot!

Review roundup:

  • Matthew at the Legion Abstract:
    It's hard for me to review the episodes that are just trifles, like this one. This series has little that resembles an ongoing storyline, and its episode plots are straightforward and simple. Sometimes the characterization is complex enough to provoke discussion, as in the cases of Brainiac 5 and Lightning Lad, but more often it's not. Sometimes the episodes feature the kind of Legion lore that demands notice from longtime fans, but not always. And when we get episodes like this, I just have to remember that it's a show for little kids, not for me, and it doesn't have to be anything other than enjoyable and Legionesque, and it is both those things.

  • Rokk at the Comic Book Revolution:
    “Child’s Play” was not as fantastic as the past two episodes, but it was still quite good. The only reason I didn’t like this episode as much as the past two was because it was not loaded down with cameo appearances....

    We got plenty of quality action and humor in this episode. This was a quick paced episode that kept the viewers attention from start to finish. The creative team continues to impress me with the nice character development with each Legionnaire. Every character is fully developed and has their own unique personality. The creative team also creates good chemistry between the various Legionnaires.

    The Animated Legion continues to evoke the same positive and fun feel of the Adventure era Legion without being a retro cartoon. The creative team has given us a thoroughly modern Legion that retains the essence if its roots in the Adventure era.

  • Over at Toonzone, one poster noted that Zyx's helmet reminded him of The Master, who was a mind-control villain in Superboy 205. I recognized it as being very close to the JLA villain Brain Storm, but I forgot about The Master. The LegionWorlders caught all the Easter Eggs too.

If Supergirl joined the Legion TV show, here's what she might look like

Barry Crain is a storyboard artist on the Legion animated show. Back in September when the show first started airing, he wrote that "Kids' WB/CW is threatening to reintroduce Supergirl in the Legion, should the show be a success. Fingers crossed..." At the time he provided some concept sketches of what she might look like if she did appear. Obviously, that never happened in Season 1, but who knows, she might be the "surprising, new ally from across the space-time continuum" promised for Season 2.

He recently said he doesn't know if WB's comments still hold true, but in the spirit of concept sketches, here's one.



Visit Barry's blog for more concept sketches.

Animated LSH season 2 updates

I think I missed some of these the first time around, so here's a summary of what we know for LSH season 2.
Original entry 2/24/07
Update 3/2/07: added info on two Superman voices, Duo Damsel/Triplicate Girl
Update 3/9/07: added info on DeMatteis' 2nd script, villains
Update 4/16/07: added Brandon Vietti (director)



Producers/Story Editors
  • Story Editor Rob Hoegee, Assistant Producer A. J. Vargas, and Co-Producer Linda Steiner were not listed in the Season 2 press release. In their place were Associate Producer Amy McKenna and Story Editor Michael Jelenic.

Directors
  • In a recent comment on his blog, director Ben Jones (who did "Man of Tomorrow", "Fear Factory", "Substitutes") said that he has no plans yet for season 2 episodes.
    No season 2 planed for me right now, alas. I'm far too busy with [secret project] - but who knows how the schedules will work out. But don't worry, Legion is in excellent hands - James is still the Man in Charge, and if the rumours are true, he's got [secret director 1] (whose work you might know from [secret show], or you could just check out his link in my sidebar), [secret director 2] and [secret director 3] lined up.

    From the suggestion, it appears that Secret Director 1 could be Michael Chang or Matt Youngberg, both of whom say that they're directors on their pages.

  • Brandon Vietti, another director linked on Ben's page, has confirmed that he's one of the Season 2 directors.

  • Director Lauren Montgomery (who did "Timber Wolf", "Champions", and "Lightning Storm") left Warner Bros. back in November and is on another show, so I don't think she'll be back for Season 2.

  • Ben's quote says three directors, which would suggest that the other Season 1 director, Tim Maltby, might not be there for Season 2 either.

Other creative staff
  • Chris Hooten is a new name I just found, he says he's a colorist. I'm not quite sure what a colorist does for animation - is that the person who paints the cels via ink & paint or computer?

  • Former DC and Marvel artist Barry Crain is doing storyboards for episodes of the show. He did a few for Season 1.

  • Designer Derrick J. Wyatt is moving to another TV series and won't be doing designs in Season 2, according to a comment on his blog.

Voice Actors
  • Andy Milder will return as the voice of Lightning Lad, while Yuri Lowenthal returns as Superman.

Writers
  • J. M. DeMatteis has written two episodes so far, one featuring Timber Wolf and the other featuring Chameleon Boy. I pray that he does not bring back the villain he created in his only Legion comic series story - Dr. Mayavale.

Character changes/updates
  • Season 2 writer J. M. DeMatteis calls it "a shift in focus." The Season 2 press release says
    A daunting new villain -- a destroyer of galaxies from the rich annals of DC Comics -- puts the Legion into action alongside new team members. Superman returns from the 21st century with greater development of both his physical prowess and far better utilization of his powers to help the Legion toward victory in the 31st century and beyond. Moreover, the Legion finds a surprising, new ally from across the space-time continuum to assist in its efforts to rid the universe of this powerful foe.

    According to Comics Continuum, the villain is Imperiex, who was seen in "Our Worlds at War" a few years ago and who will "likely appear starting with the second-season debut."

  • New team members - Chameleon Boy

  • Superman update - Comics Continuum says that "The Superman seen in Season 2 will not be the same Superman as seen in Season 1," suggesting that at the end of Season 1, Superman returns to the 21st century (20th?) to pick back up with his training where he left off in the first episode. Voice actor Yuri Lowenthal says he has recorded "two versions" of Superman.

  • New ally - as yet unknown. Maybe Supergirl?

  • Timber Wolf will be spotlighted in at least one episode of the second season. Comics writer J. M. DeMatteis will write this story, calling it "a pretty intense episode". His second story features Chameleon Boy.

  • The Fatal Five will return early in the season, as will the Light Speed Vanguard.

  • Both Triplicate Girl and Duo Damsel will appear. This suggests that the Computo, the computer intelligence running the Legion HQ, could somehow cause the death of one of Triplicate Girl's bodies.

  • Matter-Eater Lad also returns early in the season.

Sources: Comics Continuum on Feb. 3, Feb. 8, Feb. 12, Feb. 21, Feb. 22, Feb. 28, Mar. 7



This page will be updated as events warrant.

Non-Toywatch news from ToyFare

A couple months ago Previews noted that ToyFare #116 would have some info on the new lineup of Legion action figures based on the animated show. I took a look at the issue at B&N today and didn't see anything in the issue. Unless it was too small and I missed it, this concurs with the news from the recent Toy Fair in NYC that the line has been pushed back. Hope nobody pre-ordered the issue expecting the article to be there.

On the other hand, that does mean that someone, somewhere does have pictures of the upcoming line....

Friday, February 23, 2007

New York Comic Con '07: day 1

Update Friday night: added info/speculation about Mark Waid's status at the bottom.
Update Saturday afternoon: added George Perez panel info.



Day 1 at the NYCC:

The news kicks off with a story on CBR that Barry Kitson is exclusive to Marvel and will be working on a new Champions relaunch.
Marvel approached Kitson, who in recent years had primarily worked for DC Comics, about an exclusive deal at just the right time. “I guess it was a matter of timing and opportunity really; some might call it fate!” Kitson told CBR News. “Mark Waid and I were coming up to the scheduled end of our time on the ‘Legion of Superheroes’ for DC and Marvel were kind enough to offer me a chance to play a role in the Marvel Universe just at the right moment. I’ve long hoped for a chance to work with the folks at Marvel and I think with so many of my friends and past colleagues there now it helped make the transition possible.

Newsarama has more, including an interview with Kitson:
NRAMA: Okay, Barry. You're coming off a long stint with Mark Waid on DC's Legion of Super-Heroes, and with that title it carries a lot of intense and devoted fans. What would you say to them as you leave the title and move onto a new stage in your career?

BK: A HUGE “Thank you!” The LSH readers have been incredibly supportive and enthusiastic throughout the run and been an absolute pleasure to deal with. I’ve been lucky enough to meet quite a few at conventions and correspond with even more via the Internet. They’ve certainly made me feel part of the community and been great fun to talk to. I hope as a body they’ll look back on our tenure on the LSH fondly and feel we honored the book’s great legacy…. and I hope also that they might take a look at what I’m doing at Marvel because it’d be great to keep in touch. I’ve always thought one of the best things about drawing a comic book regularly is getting to know the readers and feeling we all have a share in the title– I think the LSH guys are probably as good at that as any readers can be – so again, I’d like to say thanks for all the support and enthusiasm and I hope to be enjoying the stories of whichever creators follow us on the LSH along with you!

NRAMA What will be your final issue of Legion of Super-Heroes?

BK: That will probably be #30 (depending on scheduling at DC) which will give Mark and I a chance to tie-up all (or nearly all) the threads we started dangling in issue #1. Marvel has been very kind in allowing us to wrap things up before I move over.

Apparently the first issue comes out in July, so in the next month or so we'll find out who the replacement artist will be. That's too bad, I really like Kitson's artwork. Two big names who've expressed interest in drawing the Legion won't be the new artist - not George Perez, since he's on "Brave and Bold", and Jim Lee, off being busy as the regular artist on "All Star Batman".

Meanwhile, Newsarama has news from the DC Nation panel, which focused on Countdown. There was this bit from the Lightning Round of questions:
Speaking about World War III, editor Pete Tomasi, who was in the audience, said that many of the issues surrounding Supergirl will be handled in the World War III specials.

These "issues" include why Supergirl seems so different in her own book and the Legion book, and apparently there is a reason.

CBR's DC Nation writeup doesn't have anything new.

Update Fri. night: Mike brings up an interesting point in his comment below - what is Mark Waid's status? He signed a 2-year exclusive contract in summer 2005, which means that it expires this summer. Kitson had signed a 3-year exclusive in January 2004, which means he's staying on as a freelancer (I think) until he wraps up his Legion storyline in a few months. Will Waid leave when Kitson does or will it be just a change in artist?

Update Sat. afternoon: Coverage of the George Perez panel by Newsarama doesn't mention George wanting to draw the Legion. Perhaps in a later issue of Brave & Bold, which he's contracted to for a year. If only he were available to take over from Barry Kitson....

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Countdown to Countdown

It's no surprise that the followup to 52 will be called Countdown. This looks at the post-52, post-WWIII DC Universe, with the signature character of Jimmy Olsen.

It's a little surprising that the Legion will have some contact with Countdown. We've already seen a Legion flight ring in the promotional material, for one thing.

What's a lot surprising is that a Legionnaire is in the new promo poster. The poster (which is on the cover of this month's Previews and will be offered for retail sale later) has Karate Kid - again - shown running with the pack, at center left next to Hal Jordan's right hand. Unless, of course, they're going to pull the same thing here that they did with JLA #1 a few months ago, and just put him on the cover as a red herring.

But what's even more surprising is how they describe Jimmy Olsen, via Wizard Universe:

I’d say our everyman character in the story is Jimmy Olsen, who to a great degree fits that bill within the DC Universe anyway. He has links to the Justice League, the Legion of Super-Heroes and the New Gods. And he is in the unique role of being not only a traveler through the mainstream DC Universe, but also becomes increasingly aware that he might have a bigger part to play in all this than he’s ever suspected.

This Jimmy has a link to the Legion?


(via Wizard Universe)

Wizard Universe has an interview with Paul Dini, who'll be the main writer on the project. Meanwhile, Newsarama has an interview with DC Senior VP-Executive Editor Dan Didio and Senior Editor Mike Marts (who’ll be editing Countdown as well as the regular Legion book). Dan DiDio remarks on the Jimmy Olsen storyline:
One of the key storylines follows Jimmy Olsen throughout the DC Universe, and touched upon a lot of what our long-time fans will remember Jimmy to be with the character from the’60s and into the ‘70s – again, while keeping it fresh and contemporary for a modern audience...

This is being called "the book where shit blows up."

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Con season '07 kicks off: MegaCon, NY Comic Con, WonderCon

Con season kicks off with a vengeance this month: last weekend was MegaCon in Orlando, this weekend is the New York Comic Con, and next weekend is WonderCon in San Francisco. Here's a quick look at Legion-related guests and programming.

  • So MegaCon was this past weekend (Feb. 16-18). The comicsblogosphere has been relatively quiet (or maybe I'm just not reading the right things), but I haven't heard of any Legion stuff there. What we missed: a Brave & Bold panel with George Perez, and What's New in the DCU with lots of DC staff including LSH editor Mike Marts.

  • Can the 2nd NYCC be any bigger than last year? Here's a look at the programming schedule:

    Well hell, I just spent 20 minutes looking at the NYCC web page and unless I'm totally blind, I can't find a link to the programming schedule. That should be front and center on the page. Just for that I'm not going to the con.

    OK, I found a link to the programming on The BEAT, but it still should say something on their own frickin' web page.

    Title: George Perez Spotlight
    Date: Friday, February 23, 2007
    Start Time: 4:30pm - 5:30pm
    Description: One of the most beloved artists of superhero comics, George Perez brings a singular passion to the characters that seem to leap off his pages. Join DC’s Joel Cavalieri for a chat with the master superhero artist.

    George has expressed interest before in working on the Legion. Plus the first three issues of his new Brave and Bold take place on the Gambler's Planet of Ventura and #3 has the Fatal Five.

    Title: DC NATION!
    Date: Friday, February 23, 2007
    Start Time: 7:30pm
    End Time: 8:30pm
    Description: The call for the NATION to gather has gone out again! Don’t miss the special unveiling of what will sure to be the most talked about event of the coming year! Privy only to DC NATION members!

    Probably where we'll hear about Countdown. Also features Dan DiDio and Mike Marts.

    Title: DCU: A Better Tomorrow – Today!
    Date: Saturday, February 24, 2007
    Start Time: 12:00pm
    End Time: 1:00pm
    Description: The DC Universe has been transformed by the events of 52. Living in a world one year later, discover the fate of your favorite heroes in this compelling presentation and Q&A!

    Another DCU panel.

    Title: Remembering Dave Cockrum
    Date: Sunday, February 25, 2007
    Start Time: 2:00pm
    End Time: 3:00pm
    Description: Fond recollections of artist Dave Cockrum and his impact upon the industry.

    Paul Levitz will be on the panel along with Chris Claremont. I'd love to hear them tackle my question from when Dave died, namely, if Cockrum hadn't gone to Marvel when he did, what would the X-Men have been like, and would Jim Shooter have stayed at DC?

    From DC, here's a list of the Legion-related creators who will be at the con, and at the DC booth at least part of the time:
    # Adam DeKraker (SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES)
    # Keith Giffen (52, BLUE BEETLE)
    # Andy Lanning (INFINITE CRISIS, 52)
    # George Pérez (THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD)
    # Gail Simone (BIRDS OF PREY, GEN13, SECRET SIX)
    # J. Torres (THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY, TEEN TITANS GO!)
    And of course, DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz and Legion editor Mike Marts.

  • The following weekend on the other side of the country is WonderCon in San Francisco. Here's what's on tap there:

    Friday March 2:
    4:00-5:00 DC Nation—Dan DiDio— Dan DiDio, Senior VP—Executive Editor DCU, and Bob Wayne, VP—Sales, are joined by Matt Idelson, Senior Editor—DCU, Jann Jones, Coordinating Editor—DCU, and others to call upon the DC NATION once again! Don’t miss the news on what will sure to be the most talked about events of the coming year! Open to current DC NATION members and new recruits! Room 200

    Saturday March 3:
    12:30-2:00 DC Universe 2007: Great Expectations— Dan DiDio, Senior VP—Executive Editor DCU, and Bob Wayne, VP—Sales, are joined by Matt Idelson, Senior Editor—DCU, Jann Jones, Coordinating Editor—DCU, Judd Winick (Green Arrow, Outsiders), Mark Waid (52, Supergirl & The Legion of Super-Heroes), Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis) and others for a panel that’s not to be missed. Catch up on the secrets of 52 and what lies ahead for the World’s Greatest Super-Heroes! Room 200

    3:00-4:00 The Animation Production Process— What goes into bringing an animated script to screen? Join Adam Beechen (Johnny Test, Teen Titans), Stan Berkowitz (Legion of Super Heroes, The New Frontier), Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited) and WonderCon special guest Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, W.I.T.C.H.) as they take you behind the scenes. Moderated by Shannon Muir (Invader ZIM, Extreme Ghostbusters), author of Gardner's Guide to Animation Writing and Production from GGC, Inc. Room 236

    5:30-6:45 DC Universe: Super Heroes Go DVD— DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video have joined forces to create a new series of DVDs based on DC Comics' popular graphic novels. Join animation legend Bruce Timm (Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series) and DC Comics luminaries Dan DiDio (Senior Vice President/Executive Editor) and Gregory Noveck (Senior Vice President/Creative Affairs) as they guide you through the intricacies of translating these iconic characters, revered stories and dazzling artwork from acclaimed graphic novels to animated life. In addition to a captivating Q&A, the panel will include a sneak peek of the animation triumvirate's first DVD release ... featuring a caped wonder and rumors of his early demise. Esplanade Ballroom

Episode 1.10: The Substitutes

This episode (OK, I'm late, so sue me) brought out the smiling Legion fanboy in me (yeah, like writing this blog doesn't!). It wasn't just the "spot the cameos" but the whole thing was just fun. And it showed that even with not-so-great powers still comes great responsibility. (I thought a great gag that was missed was Fire Lad being accidentally affected by Infectious Lass and sneezing a huge flame that toasts someone.). Did anyone else hear Infectious Lass channeling the spirit of Lisa Loopner?

Here's the regular torrent. For some reason the hi-def version doesn't seem to be around. I'll link to it later if/when I find it.


It's interesting how this series can pick and choose images, events, characters, and characterizations from all the different Legion stories and continuities over the years. In this one alone, we had a Starfinger with powers like the first one (1965), a costume like the second one (1987), and a personality that was new. The Subs' first adventure in the show was based on their first appearance in Adventure (1963), while their appearances and personalities came from the v2-era Levitz/Giffen stories (1985). Matter-Eater Lad's image and personality are from the TMK Legion (1993), and Star Boy is from the current version (2005).

We even got cameos of Blok, Sun Boy, Element Lad, Tyroc, and even Shrinking Violet. That makes a total of 17 Legionnaires we've seen in some fashion this season.

On to the review roundup:

  • Matthew at the Legion Abstract:
    Fun episode. Like last week's, a lot of the appeal comes from seeing old friends for the first or second time, but some of the characters were characterized in a particularly enjoyable way...

    There's no significant character development here, as most of our time is being spent with characters who have just freshly been introduced. The action scenes are up to their usual standards, but that doesn't mean much because Starfinger and the Subs are both kind of incompetent, so there aren't a lot of cool things to show in the first place. It was a good episode, but it doesn't leave me with a lot to analyze.

  • Rokk's Comic Book Revolution:
    This was another excellent episode. Last week’s episode on this one are the best back to back episodes that we have gotten on this series. I knew I’d love this episode because of the Legion auditions. And I was certainly not disappointed...

    I liked the character designs that the animators gave the Legion of Substitute Heroes. They retained enough of the original costume designs, but gave each character a more updated look for the cartoon. What was neat was that the animators used the fat Chlorophyll Kid from Giffen’s Substitute Heroes rather than the skinny Silver Age version.

    This episode captured the playful essence of the original Legion. The Adventure Era Legion offered up plenty of silly heroes and villains. And we also got treated to a Legion comprised of optimistic teen heroes who through teamwork, heart and courage were able to defeat any evil no matter how powerful. The creators of this Animated Series have clearly done their research and are delivering an incredible modern version of the Adventure Era Legion.

  • Jeffrey Bridges at Superman Homepage:
    I don't say this often, because I personally find shows that don't tie into a mythology or over-arcing story to be something of throwaway episodes. But if they were all this good, I wouldn't mind as much.

    This episode was everything I love about this show even though it didn't touch on Mekt, The Fatal Five or Alexis Luthor. There was a lot of good comedy here, a lot of imaginative, light-hearted action, and Starfinger may be the best character I've seen in a cartoon in a long, long time. He's comedy gold.

  • The Third Estate Sunday Review:
    On the most recently aired episode, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Bouncing Boy, Timber Wolf, Superboy, and Braniac 5 played like Randy, Simon and Paula as they auditioned Legionairre wanna bes. Five didn't make the cut. Like the five judges, the five contained four males and one female. The five rejects decided to prove that they were worthy. A storyline that played out about as interesting as a Super Friends subplot involving the Wonder Twins finally merged in the last minutes with the main battle going on in outer space where the characters floated around and Lightning Lad shot bolts of lightening while Clark Kent's character punched a lot. Humor was supposed to be in abundance but we'd argue when you're relying on the very tired line "Tastes like chicken," you're neither as funny nor as original as you think you are.

  • Read the reviews in the Superman Homepage, Toon Zone, and Legion World forums. Ironically, some of the posters (except those on LegionWorld, of course) accuse the Legion of ripping off things like "Mystery Men" and "The Tick", without realizing that open tryouts have been a Legion staple since 1962.

SuperDickery hosts this page from the original Subs story. Who knew that the Subs had their own oath?
"I take oath that this super-power that I am now using will be used only for the good of all peoples of Earth and the Universe! And that I will always try to help the Legion of Super-Heroes in their great deeds!"

Sunday, February 18, 2007

LSH31C stuff

Something new that popped up today, along with some stuff from last week that I never got around to posting.

  • Over at The Pulse, Jen Contino has an interview with LSH31C cover artist Steve Uy. Turns out Steve is doing interiors for an upcoming issue as well as handling the covers.

    THE PULSE: How did you become a part of the new comic series?

    UY: Back in September, I did one Supergirl cover for Eddie Berganza. I don't know if that cover will ever see the light of day, but it was really popular in the offices. I did a couple JSA covers for Mike Marts, who was my one and only editor back in my Marvel days, and then Jeanine Schaefer just called me up out of the blue back in October saying that she loved my Supergirl cover and wanted me on Legion. So I did the first cover, it went well, and after doing two more, I got interiors for, I guess, the 4th issue?

    THE PULSE: What's coming up in your first issue of Legion of Super-Heroes? Why did you want to draw the interiors for an issue?

    UY: Cover work is nice... but when you're done, you're just sitting around waiting for the next assignment. I needed to keep working, so why not do an issue? Especially since the art team is revolving, perfect opportunity.

    This issue I'm doing (Well, done is more like it.. just finished last week) involved Brainiac 5 going back to his home planet to retake his SAT's after bumbling a mission with the Fatal 5. So we've got a lot of action pages with a lot of characters, and a lot of scenic changes where the characters explore Brainy's home planet. So it was a good chance for me to take what people probably expect to see on Brainy's home planet and make a few "Uy" changes to it. So you're gonna see a lot more organics and atmosphere on Colua than has ever been depicted before. (Not that I really know how it's been depicted before...)

    Read the interview for more.

  • Comic Book Resources had an interview with the J. Torres, the writer (of a rotating lineup) of the first stories in the LSH31C book. Among the points (and note the sentence I bolded at the bottom):
    "I was actually brought in by Mike Siglain before he took over to '52.'"Torres told CBR News. "Luckily, the new editor was someone I'd worked with before and she kept me on after Mike's departure! And I didn't even have to use those pictures [laughs].

    "I was attracted to this incarnation of the Legion because I'm a fan of the team and I love working on DC's all-ages book, so it was a great combination for my sensibilities and abilities."

    It's not only the creative opportunities in "Legion"that excite Torres, as the popular Canuck scribe has been a fan of the Legion Of Superheroes for quite some time. "I'm about to date myself here but I think one of the earliest issues I picked up from the corner store involved a story leading up to Karate Kid and Princess Projectra's marriage. I don't remember the issue number or who wrote or drew it, or even everything that happened in the story, but the combination of action and adventure and romance and all those cool superheroes hooked me immediately."

    Despite Torres' obvious enthusiasm for superheroes, and the Legion in particular, he knows that he'll have to deal with the preconception that "Legion Of Superheroes In The 31 st Century"is a book meant for kids, a notion espoused by many fans in regards to comic book companions to animated series. "Well, for this series we definitely want to skew things a bit older than, say, 'Teen Titans Go,'"Torres revealed. "Even that series, both the cartoon and comic, evolved along the way as not only did the readership/viewership get older, but we discovered that more teenage girls, for example, were fans. With 'LOSH31,' we get the sense that there are older fans out there looking for a fun Legion book, so we want to try do stuff that will entertain them as much as the kids. But I think the only way to really attract them and get them to give us a chance is to "do it."Write and draw what you hope will work, build it, and hope they come. You'll notice DC passed on the chance to call this 'Legion Adventures' - I believe that was because they didn't want people to think that this was just another kids book."

  • Rokk's Comic Book Revolution comments on Torres' interview and has some comments of his own about the book.
    LSH31 has the potential to fill a version of the Legion that we have not seen since the memorable Curt Swan Legion of Super Heroes from Adventure Comics. LSH31 brings the Legion back to its true essence. Many people have opined and ruminated over various questions concerning the Legion. These are as follows: What are the essential elements of the Legion of Super Heroes? What makes the Legion of Super Heroes unique? And of course, which version of the Legion of Super Heroes is the definitive version?

  • J. Torres himself comments on the interview on his own site, J. Torres Online:
    ...While LOSH31 editors (past and present) are (or have been) in touch with the writers or producers of the animated series, I have yet to talk or e-mail anyone involved with the series about story ideas and such, not even the fine people I had consulted during their time working on the Titans cartoon. But it's early and I still have their contact info, so they're not off the hook yet ;)

    Although I was kinda/sorta misquoted in a couple of places, everything else is true and overall I think it's a good interview, so please check it out.

  • Finally, over at Bjooks the Blog, there's commentary on the series being more higly anticipated than the regular title:
    This is the Legion book to watch. It's been some time since we've seen the clean, pure Legion concept. I started collecting the Legion back in the late 80s, during the Universo Project, but I was aware of the team for some time before that (I remember being heavily influenced by the Giffen art era, although I didn't really know who Levitz or Giffen were at the time). But sometime one or three reboots ago I stopped caring so much. Each reboot just seems to take a little bit of the Legion away.


Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century goes on sale on April 18, and the Free Comic Book Day version will be available for free on May 5.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Foreign Legion IV


originally from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #87


originally from Adventure #333


originally from Adventure #337


originally from Adventure #358


originally from LSH v3 #17


originally from LSH v3 #32


originally from LSH v3 #35




Previously:
Foreign Legion I: ADV 312, 316, 322
Foreign Legion II: ADV 352, 363, 372, ANCE C-55, LSH V3 37, 48
Foreign Legion III: ADV 302, 318, 319, 351, LSH V3 34, 62

Thursday, February 15, 2007

HeroClix Starter Set & Origin update

Scott at Legion Clubhouse points out that two images of the new Legion HeroClix Starter Set have been sneak-peeked: Phantom Girl and Timber Wolf. But they're in their post-Infinite Crisis (current) costumes, not the cartoon version, so maybe it's a rights thing -- maybe resculpts of Brainiac 5, Superman, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and a new Bouncing Boy in their current costumes. Oh, wait, there is no Bouncing Boy in current continuity yet.

Here's the thread at the HCRealms message board discussing the set, along with the new Phantom Girl and Timber Wolf figures. The starter set comes out in June.




Meanwhile, Buddyhoss over at HCRealms got the poster with images of each figure and photographed each one. Legion figures from this set are Mano, Triplicate Girl, Supergirl (modern), and M'Onel/Valor/Mon-El. Here's the set, along with the discussion thread. M. J. Norton's Miraclo Miles discusses of many of them, and an earlier post discusses the Supergirl figure. The Origin set comes out in March.




(Updated with info from Scott's comment below)

"The Substitutes" Preview

Today's Comics Continuum has a preview of this weekend's episode (1.10) of "Legion of Super-Heroes", featuring the time-honored classic of Legion tryouts (and rejects) as well as the Legion of Substitute Heroes.



According to series producer James Tucker:
"This one might be a fan-favorite," Legion producer James Tucker told The Continuum. "There was a Substitutes annual that Keith Giffen did that was just off-the-wall and totally different. And that's where the Substitutes were really first presented as really bizarre. We took a lot of cues from that one.

"It¹s a fun episode. It's got a lot of cameos in it, from other Legionnaires, not just the Subs. And two Legionnaires join the team."



Two, huh? I'll bet Invisible Kid and Ultra Boy will be the newbies.

I think they'll leave the "traditional" Subs of the 80's alone, especially based on the above quote (and cover off to the right), so that would suggest Polar Boy, Fire Lad, Chlorophyll Kid, Porcupine Pete, Double-Header, Infectious Lass, Stone Boy, Color Kid, and Night Girl -- all of whom we saw last week -- will form the Subs. Matter-Eater Lad might join the Subs, especially if they're going to be played for comic relief.


Oh, and the guy with the miner's helmet and the letters QK on his costume, who everyone thinks is Quake Kid? A quick Googling of his name produces a slap-the-forehead "oh yeah" moment. There was a Quake Kid who was introduced in Superboy 218, the first appearance of Absorbancy Boy and the second appearance of Infectious Lass. She and Quake Kid were going to go for lunch or something after being rejected, when her powers made him nauseous. His next appearance was a Weisinger Chamber bearing his name.

Toywatch: Not action figures, but how about Heroclix?

I'll leave all of the analysis to our resident Heroclix expert (Scipio at the Absorbascon), but at least three people emailed me tonight to tell me that WizKids is coming out with a special Heroclix "starter set".


DC HeroClix Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Game Announced!

This Summer, WizKids takes DC HeroClix into the distant future with the DC HeroClix: Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Game!

The DC HeroClix: Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Game features:
· 7 all-new sculpts
· 2 exclusive new 3D objects
· 3'x3' full-color, 2-sided HeroClix map
· The most up-to-date HeroClix rulebook and PAC card
· 1 Feat card, 1 Battlefield Condition and terrain and object tokens
· 1 HeroClix base turning ring and 2 dice

The Legion of Super-Heroes is set in the 30th Century where a young Superman has been thrust forward in time and agrees to join a young team of adventurers in a universe that faces threats of unimaginable proportion!

The DC HeroClix: Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Game is featured in a windowed display box and is playable right out of the box. Combined with previous HeroClix releases such as DC HeroClix: Origin and DC HeroClix: Giants you can recreate some of the Legion's most spectacular adventures!

And don't forget, 2007 is the 5th Anniversary of HeroClix. Expect ANYTHING!

The DC HeroClix: Legion of Super-Heroes Starter Game is slated for release in June 2007.


I suspect that the 7 all-new sculpts are likely to be the 7 core characters of the TV show - I think that's too much of a coincidence. And I have no idea what the rest of the items in the box are, but as long as they're included, cool! (Not that I'm going to play the game, though.)

Here's a list of all the Legion-related HeroClix figures that I put together for the Legion Wiki.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Geoff Johns on reintroducing Mon-El

I missed this last week on WizardUniverse. Geoff Johns was interviewed about the Action Comics Annual, including the Mon-El story. Some highlights:

..The book’s mission statement is to dig deep into DC history and hit pathos paydirt—especially when it comes to the reintroduction of Legion of Super-Heroes mainstay Mon-El.

“That’s why we really focused on Mon-El in this annual. We tried to get that emotion,” explains Johns of how he, his film director mentor and artist Eric Wight (Justice League of America #0) pulled their inspiration from Mon-El’s first appearance in 1961’s Superboy #89 rather than more recent retcons which took the character out of Superman’s past. “The original story is obviously a little bit more campy, and it doesn’t hit the emotions as directly as we attempted to, but it’s a wonderful story and certainly our story is very inspired by that.”
...
And while this is the second time in as many months that Johns has pulled inspiration from classic Silver Age tales (the first being Justice Society of America recruit Starman quoting lines from a classic Legion of Super-Heroes story), the writer explains that the intent for using classic stories as building blocks is to help push the characters into the modern age of superhero comics. And many of the stories in this new annual sync up with recent tweaks to DC continuity implemented over the past few years. “At the same time, the reason to go back to that original Mon-El story is that we knew Mark [Waid] was reintroducing Mon-El as the original in the updated Legion series, and so we wanted to update the original meeting between Mon-El and Clark,” says Johns.
...
And as for Superman’s “big brother”? Don’t think he’ll be out of the picture and into future issues of Legion of Super-Heroes just yet. “Mon-El is going to be in one of the upcoming Action issues for our General Zod story, so we wanted to remind readers who Mon-El was and set Mon-El up for that,” explains Johns. “He’s essentially the only good guy in the Phantom Zone, which is kind of a cool concept. In a weird way, he’s the guardian of the Phantom Zone, and he’ll be a wealth of information in the current arc when we finally see him.”

Happy VD!

Scott at Polite Dissent has another batch of specialized Valentines' Day cards for you. When you care enough to link to the very best...



Here are some from last year:

Mon-El and Action Comics Annual #10

Got to get on to Action Annual 10 before Annual 11 comes out...

Reviews of this were mostly positive, some of them even glowing. Brings back a feel for the Silver Age, was a common theme. Not only did we have a new/old Mon-El story, but somehow Superman has statues of the Legion in his Fortress. I guess the old "Lar Gand came to Earth in the wake of Invasion!, joined the L.E.G.I.O.N., and seeded the future worlds of the 30th century United Planets, before Kon-El stuck him in the Stasis Zone for 1000 years" trick is retcon-punched out and Mon-El's origin is back to "I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still, da doo ron ron ron da doo ron ron" with a dash of "you can't call me Superboy because I'm not wearing the costume".

And it has been pointed out that in the 2-page spread of the "Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude" exists Superman's Trophy Room and Museum, which houses "Superman's private collection of relics from his adventures and statues of his family, friends, and enemies from the past present, and future." On one platform are the likes of Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Earth-2 Superman, Power Girl, Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and Wonder Woman, and on another platform are Ultra Boy, Sun Boy, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Star Boy, Dream Girl, Shadow Lass, Colossal Boy, Chameleon Boy, Saturn Girl, and others. The costumes of Cham, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Shadow Lass date the statues to immediately prior to the Great Darkness Saga (I checked the covers to be sure - Saturn Girl's non-bikini appeared on the cover to LSH v2 289, while on 288 Shadow Lass is in her non-cloaked costume; Cos was already in his post-Grell costume and Cham hadn't yet changed to purple and yellow). But that's not the point - the point is that this is the pre-Crisis Legion! WTF are their statues doing here along with E-2 Superman's?

Anyway, the stories here tend towards the "Smallville" age Clark Kent and to the Donner movies "Superman I" and "II" (no wonder, based on who's working on the comic these days). Fine, that's the look du jour. Remember when they remade Batman's Gotham City into the movie version? If you don't like it, this too shall pass.

A bunch of reviews, concentrating on the Mon-El story and the Fortress picture:

  • Rokk's Comic Book Revolution:
    My personal favorite of these five short stories was “Who is Clark Kent’s Big Brother?” It absolutely rocked!! In one fell swoop, Johns and Donner return one of my all-time favorite Legionnaires his original history that the Crisis on Infinite Earths stole from him. I am extremely happy. ...

    Now, let’s talk about the two special features. The “Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude” made me jump for joy. First, let me say that it was cool looking and well done... what really made me insanely psyched was what I saw in the Trophy Room and Museum where the statues of Superman’s friends from the future are located. Yup, that’s right; the Legion of Super Heroes is back in full effect in Superman’s history. Johns and Donner have re-connected The Legion of Super Heroes with Superman’s past. That is awesome.

  • Chris Roberson's Interminable Ramble:
    That's *my* Fortress of Solitude! ... Now, on the outside, it's all glass and crystal, straight out of Donner's flick. But on the inside? Pure Silver Age, baby. Check it out. Okay, now that is the closest they've come to this since John Byrne dismantled the franchise after Crisis on Infinite Earths. ...

    The stories on either side of that spread are not half bad, either. We get the reintroduction of Mon-El, Superboy's "older brother," in a tone that fits the current continuity but hews as close as possible to the original Silver Age version (and ties into the reappearance of the character in Mark Waid's Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes)...

  • Comic Fodder:
    ...If nothing else, this story answers the questions Superman readers have been trying to resolve since Infinite Crisis. Is there a Superboy? In this story (ably illustrated by Eric Wright) we quickly learn that while Clark Kent had not donned the costume of Superman, he is the mysterious "Super-Boy", a mysterious and anonymous figure who is a bit like a crop circle or UFO sighting in rural Kansas. Perhaps the best of both worlds. ... I'll admit, I never really read up enough on Mon-El, other than knowing he was supposed to be a Daxamite as Mon-El hasn't been front and center in Superman comics while I've been reading. This bitter-sweet story went a long way to providing Mon-El with an origin and a young Clark Kent with a sense that he is no longer utterly alone in the cosmos.

  • Laura and Adan at Pop Culture Shock:
    Adan: This has been touted as a book which lets readers peer into future Superman storyarcs, but all I see here is the resurgence of the Silver Age. Kryptonian criminals, Mon-El, Bizarro World, multi-colored Kryptonite and... are those statues of the old-school Legion of Super-Heroes in the Fortress of Solitude? Oh, sweet Jesus. Well, like it or not, and I certainly do not (except for the Mon-El bit; that’s pretty cool), the Silver Age is back in a big way, with all its silliness and convolutedness intact, one assumes...

    Laura: ...The most interesting thing about this book, for me, is not the way it is, but the way I like to imagine it. And maybe the Mon-El story, but not much else.

  • Perrynomasia:
    By far the best story in the book has a young Clark Kent learning about his powers and growing up separate from his peers in fear of accidentally injuring them. ... This is clearly a tie-in to the continuity of the new Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes. And yet, with such an interesting story about Clark's loneliness and newfound "brother", the art is the weakest here. I'm not sure how closely the artist and colorist worked together on this, but all the panels have a very washed out feel to them, with a palette in the browns, almost sepia. Perhaps this was done to give an impression of nostalgia, but it gets boring to look at, especially all the flat colors. Compared to the vibrant coloring and art throughout the rest of the book, this story is a dramatic departure.

  • Comic Bloc message board - the Geoff Johns/Action Comics forum and LSH31C writer J. Torres's forum

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Toywatch: No News Is Bad News (at least for 2007)

News via Action Figure Insider's forums:

The lack of Legion figures on display at Toy Fair is not good news. In fact, AFI has it that the Legion action figure line has been pushed to 2008, which suggests that previews for the line might not be on view until San Diego.

From someone who knows the right people:

I haven't heard a "why" from anyone yet. All they will say is LOSH is now an 2008 line.

Here's a straw poll of the readers on Action Figure Insider as to who they want to see. We'll see what AFI's Boy Wonder, a Mattel rep, has to say.

Coming in May 2007

Coming Distractions for May 2007 (via Newsarama), in alphabetical order... in addition to the regular Supergirl and the Legion book, we've got parts 3 and 4 of the JLA/JSA teamup (which should include Starman), issue 2 of the LSH31C book, a crossover with Superman, a probable appearance (of sorts) by Infectious Lass:

ACTION COMICS #850
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art and cover by Renato Guedes
In this extra-sized special issue, writer Kurt Busiek reunites with artist Renato Guedes to visit the 31st Century and the Girl of Steel! Supergirl’s looking for a way to back from the future and to realize why Superman doesn’t want her to wear the “S” shield, but both Superman and Supergirl in for a big surprise when they see what the past has in store! With time-viewing sneak peaks at the upcoming year's events!
On sale May 30 • FC, 48 pg, $3.99 US



JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9
Written by Brad Meltzer
Art by Ed Benes & Sandra Hope
Cover by Michael Turner
Variant cover by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning
Part 3 of the hottest crossover of the year featuring the new JLA & JSA!
“The Lightning Saga” continues as members of both teams scour the DCU from Gorilla City to Thanagar in search of something...or someone.
Retailers: This issue will feature two covers that may be ordered separately. The Standard Edition cover is by Michael Turner; one copy of the Variant Edition, with a cover by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning, may be ordered for every 10 copies of the Standard Edition ordered. Please see the Previews Order Form for further details.
On sale May 16 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #6
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Dale Eaglesham & Ruy José
Cover by Alex Ross
Variant cover by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning
Part 4 of the 5-part JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA/JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA crossover “The Lightning Saga!” Wonder Woman leads Damage and a squad of League and Society members deep into the recesses of the mysterious Suicide Swamp! What horrible evil will rise that will plague the world for a thousand years, and how will the combined might of the Justice League and the Justice Society stop it?
Retailers: This issue will feature two covers that may be ordered separately. The Standard Edition cover is by Alex Ross; one copy of the Variant Edition, with a cover by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning, may be ordered for every 10 copies of the Standard Edition ordered. Please see the Previews Order Form for further details.
On sale May 30 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #30
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Barry Kitson & Mick Gray
Cover by Kitson
It’s a turning-point issue for the Legionnaires as a longtime member makes a startling decision that will affect the entire team!
On sale May 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #8
Written by David Lapham and Brian Azzarello
Art by Eric Battle, Cliff Chiang and Prentis Rollins
Cover by Battle
Twists and shocks abound as the secret behind two tales is finally revealed! Witness the true and terrible nature of crime, punishment, and…The Spectre! Plus: Dr. 13’s wild adventure ends with a big bang in the hidden nexus of the DCU!
On sale May 9 • 8 of 8 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US



THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31st CENTURY #2
Written by J. Torres
Art by Sanford Greene & Nathan Massengill
Cover by Steve Uy
On the planet Raal, Timber Wolf was nothing but a beast. But in the Legion, he could be a super-hero! Can he — and the team — keep it together long enough to make it back home, or will this be the shortest membership on record?
On sale May 16 • 32 pg, FC, $2.25 US

Meet Mon-El's family


Courtesy of The Hembeck Files!

Fred Hembeck's comics were Da Bomb. He did a strip in the late 70's DC comics on the "Daily Planet" page (like the one above) each week, for that week's comics. The Planet page was a little hype about upcoming books, plus "Ask the Answer Man". (Hey, this was pre-internet, I wasn't even old enough to know about The Comic Reader or RBCC or anything like that yet.) Fred did a half dozen or so Legion-related strips, and had his own magazine from Fantaco over the years - some of it new, some reprinted from Comics Buyer's Guide. More on that eventually.

Also from the Hembeck site:

Monday, February 12, 2007

Episode 1.08: Lightning Storm

One of the best episodes yet. It was exciting from a fight standpoint, and it had the highest geek quotient so far due to all of the Legion applicants. The best thing about the episode: finding out that I was right all along about how "Ayla" is pronounced. Take that, all you "Eye-la" pronouncers!

If you haven't seen the episode yet, here are the torrents in hi-def and regular.

A quick look at the reviews:

  • From Matthew at the Legion Abstract:
    The most obvious ongoing plotline of this series so far has been the Superman/Brainiac 5 friendship, and certainly it's what I've taken the most notice of. Just as good, though, is the character of Lightning Lad. From the beginning it's been obvious that he's a guy who can be a bit of a jerk. But, also from the beginning, he's also been a guy who has never compromised his heroism. ... It's important to understand: he's not like a Dan Fielding or Reggie Mantle who needs to be shamed into doing the right thing. He's not an antihero or a reluctant hero. He's the real thing... but he happens to have an unpleasant side to his personality. His portrayal is one of the best things about the show.

  • Duke at Blog 9 from Outer Space:
    Simply the best episode of the Legion cartoon so far. Cool fights, competing super-teams, family feuds, teen-aged romance, and Legion applicants. This one had it all, and did it all well. Yes, THIS, is what I had most hoped for in a Legion cartoon.

  • Eldarwannabe on LiveJournal:
    FANSQUEEE!!
    Latest Legion of Super Heroes episode, Lighting Storm.

    It seems the show is focusing more on Lighting Lad then any of the other characters. And despite the monster-of-the-week approach, I'm really enjoying the show so far. I would like it if they went deeper, with longer, more mature storyline. But the cameos are keeping me happy so far. (Although I might die of fan-overload if Ayla actually showed up at this point.)

  • Rokk at the Comic Book Revolution:
    This was a great episode. Probably my favorite episode so far. It had everything that I want from a Legion cartoon. It had action, drama and plenty of very cool cameo appearances. “Lightning Storm” really captured the spirit of the Legion. That the Legion is not just a team. It is a family...

    I also loved this episode because of all of the various potential applicants for the Legion tryouts. I always loved issues that centered on Legion auditions. It was always entertaining to see the various oddball characters that would try and get into the Legion.

  • Jeffrey Bridges at Superman Homepage:
    It was good to see a wider variety of Legion members, with Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl finally getting some more screen time and with the (albeit brief) introduction of Colossal Boy.

    And as always, and as I've now come to expect, the action sequences were the absolute highlight of the episode. This one wasn't quite as creative as some of the past ones have been, but it was still a highly entertaining battle and just what you'd hope for from a superhero battle (including getting to see Superman kind of cut loose on an opponent of roughly equal strength).

  • There's also talk on the LegionWorld forum, the ToonZone forum, the ComicBloc forum.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Toywatch: US Toy Fair 2007 day 0

I've been monitoring a number of websites but haven't seen anything about Legion figures yet. Sunday was Day 0 (Preview day for the media), but the manufacturers are holding a lot back. Here are the sites I'm checking in on:


In particular, I'm watching both the Mattel forums (where we've been told to expect something, either in the Justice League Unlimited line or something else) and the DC forums (in case something pops up in the DC Direct line). Nothing so far, but the big show hasn't even started yet.

I'm sure someone will scoop me on the photos, but check back here in the afternoon and hopefully I'll have something. Or, if you see something there or elsewhere, please leave me a comment.

The big question - will Mattel be making figures based on the Justice League line or the Legion line?

Previously: Toy Fair coming soon (12/06), DC Direct info (8/06)

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Animated LSH season 2 press release: questions

In case you hadn't seen it yet, the Legion cartoon's been renewed for a second season. There are some new people behind the scenes, too. Here are the relevant parts of the press release (via the Futon Critic):

WARNER BROS. ANIMATION, KIDS' WB! ON THE CW ANNOUNCE PRODUCTION ON FOUR RETURNING SERIES FOR FALL 2007 SEASON

Released by The CW

BURBANK, CA (FEBRUARY 8, 2007) - Warner Bros. Animation has begun production on new seasons of four returning series, all for air on Kids' WB! on The CW, the No.1 rated Saturday morning kids broadcast slate, it was announced today by Warner Bros. Animation President Sander Schwartz and Kids' WB! Senior Vice President and General Manager Betsy McGowen.

...Also returning for its second season is "Legion of Super Heroes," recently named Wizard magazine's "Best Animated Series" of 2006. ...

Huh. Missed that one from the January 2007 issue.
The second season of "Legion of Super Heroes" finds the group fulfilling their collective destiny, each member elevating his skills to new levels ... just in time to face even greater challenges. A daunting new villain - a destroyer of galaxies from the rich annals of DC Comics - puts the Legion into action alongside new team members. Superman returns from the 21st century with greater development of both his physical prowess and far better utilization of his powers to help the Legion toward victory in the 31st century and beyond. Moreover, the Legion finds a surprising, new ally from across the space-time continuum to assist in its efforts to rid the universe of this powerful foe.

All four returning series are produced by Warner Bros. Animation with Sander Schwartz as executive producer. [snip] In his second season as producer of "Legion of Super Heroes," James Tucker is joined by Associate Producer Amy McKenna and Story Editor Michael Jelenic.

Behind the scenes, it looks like first season Story Editor Rob Hoegee, Associate Producer A. J. Vargas, and co-Producer Linda Steiner are out.

As for the new villain, maybe Comics Continuum was right after all back in October when it suggested Darkseid would be appearing. At the time, Story Editor Rob Hoegee said No Darkseid in season 2. Sorry to spoil your speculation fun, but things may have changed.

Three questions to ponder...
  1. Who is "destroyer of galaxies from the rich annals of DC Comics"? What other cosmic-level bad guys does DC have if not Darkseid, maybe Mongul? The Anti-Monitor?

  2. "Superman returns from the 21st century"... guess he leaves at the end of the season, just in case the series wasn't picked up for a second season, they didn't want to leave him trapped in the 31st century. What's the in-series reason, and how long does he spend back home?

  3. "The Legion finds a surprising, new ally from across the space-time continuum"... Maybe someone from the 21st century that Superman brings back with him. Krypto, perhaps, who brings Streaky and Ace to the future where they organize the Legion of Super-Pets? Probably not since he's on Cartoon Network and not KidsWB. Supergirl? Maybe, but then it would be Superman and Supergirl and oh yeah, those other kids have powers too. Who else from the present is associated with the Legion? Mon-el from the Phantom Zone? Lana Lang as Insect Queen? She's from the Smallville time that Clark was originally picked up in.

One other minor change, as reported by Comics Continuum, will be to the logo, which changes from a red Superman S-shield to a cutout where you can see the blue sky and stars through it. The words "Super Heroes" are also now in italic.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

The Mon-El Hokey Pokey


You put your Mon-El in,



You take your Mon-El out,



You put your Mon-El in,



and you shake it all about.



You do the Hokey Pokey



and you turn yourself around,



That's what it's all about!


Trivia Answers #8

You guys are getting too good. (That's "guys" in the gender-neutral sense.)

1. Special 52 related question: In non-retconned history, how did Booster Gold end up with a Legion Flight Ring and Brainiac 5's force field belt?

In a time paradox, several Legionnaires went back in time to 1985 to find out why a flight ring and Brainy's belt ended up in one of Rip Hunter's time machines that was used only once to go from 2462 to 1986. In a classic superhero misunderstanding, the Legion thought that Booster Gold (who had used the time machine, ring, and belt) was there to assassinate President Reagan, while the Legion thought Booster was there for the same reason. They figure things out, protect Reagan, and Brainy leaves his flight ring and belt in the time machine so that it'll be there in 2462 when Booster steals it to go back in time.

This story was recently recapped on scans_daily, so maybe you'll be able to understand it better there.

2. Which code names have been used for more than one Legionnaire or close Legion associate by different people? Count all examples of a person across the different continuities as one person for this question, e.g., all versions of Kal-El count as the same Superboy.
The original names that I had thought of were Superboy, Impulse, Inferno, Leviathan, Kid Quantum, Invisible Kid, and Karate Kid. You came up with Lightning Lad and Livewire (which I wasn't going to count since it wasn't a permanent name, but what the hell), Computo, and Reflecto.

3. Across the various continuities, which Legionnaires have had the power to physically change their body's form, appearance, and/or physical properties?
My original list: Invisible Kid, Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, Colossal Boy, Ferro Lad, Phantom Girl, Color Kid. I hadn't thought of Kono, Bouncing Boy, Timber Wolf (as Furball), Shikari, Stone Boy, Gear, Elastic Lad, Celeste as green energy, Thunder changing identities, Insect Queen, or Spider Girl. Clearly my fact-checking was a bit deficient.

4. In the Levitz-era Legion Academy, what was the name of the little gray guy with the big eyes?
To the best of my knowledge, it was never given. He even showed up in the "Who's Who" book as "unknown", as in this page on scans_daily.

5. A Tuckerization (named after a 1950s science fiction author) is when a real person's name or physical description is used for a character in a fictional story - for example, Flynt Brojj was named after Mike Flynn and Harry Broertjes. Name five other Tuckerizations from Legion history (there are tons).
Here's a list of over 30 Tuckerizations on the Legion Wiki. They include the element Sigellian (Jerry Siegel), the Weisinger Chambers, Gigi Cusimano (Paul Levitz' wife's maiden name), Magno's name Dyrk Magz, Thunder's real name Cecebeck and home planet Binderaan (after Capt. Marvel co-creators C. C. Beck and Otto Binder), and the real names of Nightwind, Crystal Kid, and Lamprey.

6. In original Adventure-era continuity, why did Dream Girl use Naltorian science to change Ayla Ranzz's powers from lightning to making things lightweight?
I didn't think anyone would get this. It was not the "no duplication of powers" rule, that came later. As Jonathan said, Nura appeared to remove Ayla's power to kick her out of the Legion (long story), but she really just changed the power to something Ayla didn't know she had.

7. Special bonus 52 related question: How many different Emerald Eyes have we seen? I'm talking about the large ones like the Eye of Ekron, not the normal ones from people with green eyes or the kind when the Emerald Eye possesses someone.
Jonathan got all the ones I was thinking of, so I'll just repost what he said:
a. the original.
b. Cera Kesh's.
c. the one MacCauley had.
d. Violet's eye in the reboot.
e. the one the Bek's found in L.E.G.I.O.N.
f. The one Lobo has in 52.
g. the other one in the "head of Ekron," seemingly destroyed.
h. the seemingly mechanical (and disassembled) Eye in Sivana's lab on Oolong Island

I'll have to come up with some harder ones next time.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Trivia Quiz #8

Hey, kids, it's the first Monday of the month, you know what that means... trivia time! As always, no wagering.

1. Special 52 related question: In non-retconned history, how did Booster Gold end up with a Legion Flight Ring and Brainiac 5's force field belt?

2. Which code names have been used for more than one Legionnaire or close Legion associate by different people? Count all examples of a person across the different continuities as one person for this question, e.g., all versions of Kal-El count as the same Superboy.

3. Across the various continuities, which Legionnaires have had the power to physically change their body's form, appearance, and/or physical properties?

4. In the Levitz-era Legion Academy, what was the name of the little gray guy with the big eyes?

5. A Tuckerization (named after a 1950s science fiction author) is when a real person's name or physical description is used for a character in a fictional story - for example, Flynt Brojj was named after Mike Flynn and Harry Broertjes. Name five other Tuckerizations from Legion history (there are tons).

6. In original Adventure-era continuity, why did Dream Girl use Naltorian science to change Ayla Ranzz's powers from lightning to making things lightweight?

7. Special bonus 52 related question: How many different Emerald Eyes have we seen? I'm talking about the large ones like the Eye of Ekron, not the normal ones from people with green eyes or the kind when the Emerald Eye possesses someone.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Episode 1.09: Brain Drain

Update Sunday night: added torrent links and the last three reviews at the bottom.



A neat little episode. I liked Brainy going nuts. "I feel like dancing!" Ha!

Intrepid reader Brad Parnell noticed something:
When Brainy's going nutso he says: "I alone am Brainiac 5!" I instantly recognized it as coming from the Super Starlag of Space. A quick reference verified trhat it was from Adventure 344 page 10. And I'm probably not the first Legion geek to notify you either.

Actually, I wouldn't have caught that if Brad hadn't brought it to my attention.

Next week: the Legion of Super-Villains Light Speed Vanguard! And from the preview, it looks like we'll see Colossal Boy and Triplicate Girl, and the guy previously identified as Ronn-Karr appears to be a shapeshifter. There's an extended preview at the KidsWB site, and the regular preview on another page there.

It would really be nice if they ran these in the proper order, or at least put something in the closing credits to say which episodes they are. We've got reviews and torrents giving different episode numbers based on either air date (in which case this is 1.07) or "official" production number (which would make this 1.09). We saw in this one that it's definitely out of order, as Superman refers to an encounter with a magician that we haven't seen yet. That event takes place in "Child's Play", production 1.07/airdate 1.10 on Feb. 24th.

Torrent links: Hi-def and regular.

Review roundup:
  • ToonZone forum talkback:
    I'm glad to see they have Clark being stupid occassionally. He needs to learn responsibility at seeking out his potential, yet he's been satisified with what he's done so far, and that is why Brainy needs to continue withholding information.

    I'm also glad Timber Wolf finally got some screen time. He's basically been non-exsistant since they rescued him. It's about time he got to strut some of his stuff.

  • Rokk at the Comic Book Revolution:
    I like how the writers are handling the relationship between Superman and the descendant of one of Superman’s greatest enemies in Brainiac 5. Brainy has the benefit of knowing all about Superman’s future battles with Brainiac and it certainly puts out green hero in an uncomfortable position. I like that the writers have made Superman so close to Brainy while still giving the viewer the uneasy feeling that Brainy isn’t being totally truthful with Superman.

  • LegionWorld forum talkback:
    Basically, Brainy let Superman know that he won't be able to tell him the details about his life (like the fact that his powers won't work unless he's under a red sun), that he needs to find things out on his own. Imagine what that must feel like, to know someone who knows your future, but won't tell you. That'd surely be a reason to keep one's distance, just because of the aggravation. IMO.

  • Duke Harrington at Blog 9 From Outer Space:
    "Brain Drain" does have a few lapses of logic along the way, but that's to be expected, I guess, in an episode that focuses on Brainic 5's sometimes tenuous grasp on reality. Overall, the sheer fun of insane Brainy, coupled with the gosh-wow visual delights of Timber Wolf in action, make up for any shortcomings this episode may have.

  • Matthew E at the Legion Abstract:
    If there's one thing about this show that's turned some people off, it's the portrayal of Brainy as a robot. And I can't say I was nuts about it either. But with this episode, and the plot point about it at the end of the nightmares episode, it's clear that at least the writers are getting some use out of his robotic form. It wasn't done just for the sake of making change; it actually serves a purpose.

    (Which is not true of the whole Rahl/Zuun legerdemain when it comes to Timber Wolf's origins. I mean, it's not important, and I don't care, but the writers implied in interviews that there was some kind of reason why the Legion met Timber Wolf on Rahl instead of Zuun. Well, if the reason was this episode, they didn't have to do it that way. It's fine that they did, but they could have switched the names of the two planets easily and it would have worked just as well.)

  • Jeffrey Bridges at Superman Homepage:
    I think the Superman moments were what saved this episode for me, though, as without them it would have seemed like just another throwaway episode. But the Superman moments were there, and some of Brainy's dementia actually made me chuckle and so I've got no real complaints... so long as we don't have to wait ten weeks for the next new episode.